Ill-Equipped History

The Watermelon War: Pandemonium in Panama

Episode 151. Emileigh and Morgan detail the unbelievable story of how an argument over one 5 cent slice of watermelon started a riot and changed the politics in Panama for the following 100 years. 
 
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Sources

The Rosetta Stone: Discovery and Translation

Episode 150. For hundreds of years, ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs were a mystery. The ability to read them had been lost to time, and scholars wondered if their secrets would ever be revealed. In 1799, a stone was recovered the town of el Rashid, also known as Rosetta. This stone had three styles of text carved into its face: hieroglyphs, Demotic, and ancient Greek. With time, consistency, and perseverance, the symbols were finally translated; Egyptology finally became an area of official study. 
 
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Sources
“Translation of the Rosetta Stone” from The Nile, Notes for Travellers in Egypt by E.A. Walis Budge (1905). 9th Edition, London, Thos. Cook and Son. pp 199-211. 
https://sacred-texts.com/egy/trs/trs07.htm
 
“Everything you ever wanted to know about the Rosetta Stone” (Jul 14 2017, updated Dec 18 2025)
https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/everything-you-ever-wanted-know-about-rosetta-stone
 
“What Is the Rosetta Stone?” by Elizabeth Nix (Apr 1 2015, updated Mar 2 2025)
https://www.history.com/articles/what-is-the-rosetta-stone
 
“Two Hundred Years Ago, the Rosetta Stone Unlocked the Secrets of Ancient Egypt” by Meilan Solly (Sept 27 2022)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/rosetta-stone-hieroglyphs-champollion-decipherment-egypt-180980834/
 
“The Rosetta Stone” by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker 
https://smarthistory.org/the-rosetta-stone/
 
“The Rosetta Stone: Unlocking the Ancient Egyptian Language” by Roy Scalf 
https://arce.org/resource/rosetta-stone-unlocking-ancient-egyptian-language/
 
“Ptolemy V Epiphanes”
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ptolemy-V-Epiphanes
 
“Thomas Young, The Last Man Who Knew Everything” 
https://steven-shepard.com/2025/01/22/thomas-young-the-last-man-who-knew-everything/
 
“Jean-François Champollion (1790-1832)” 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/champollion_jean.shtml
 
“Egyptian Campaign” 
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/egyptian-campaign
Sound Credits: 
 
Paper handling.wav by sethlind -- https://freesound.org/s/265020/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
Running_wood.wav by taure -- https://freesound.org/s/363470/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
Run & Fall - Wooden surface by Vrymaa -- https://freesound.org/s/810885/ -- License: Creative Commons 0
 
Music by Tomomi Kato from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-baroque-style-423524/
 

Jacques-Yves Cousteau: The Father of Scuba Diving

Episode 149. Emileigh and Morgan dive into the wonderful, wild, and dramatic world of Jacques Cousteau. 
 
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Sources
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/jacques-cousteau--3
 
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/jacques-cousteau
 
https://www.disneyplus.com/browse/entity-e0405c04-fab6-497c-9482-63d08deeb881?distributionPartner=google
 
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/cousteau-suit-names-son-3130709.php
 

Carter G. Woodson: The Father of Black History

Episode 148. Carter Woodson's passion was education and history, especially Black history. He made it his mission to document and educate others on Black history, and even dedicated an entire week to just the study of it; this would eventually go on to be Black History Month. Join Morgan and Emileigh as they discuss the man behind the month. 
 
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Sources
“Carter G. Woodson” by biography.com editors (updated Feb 3 2025)
https://www.biography.com/scholars-educators/carter-g-woodson
 
“Carter G. Woodson” 
https://legacyofslavery.harvard.edu/legacy-of-leadership/carter-g-woodson/
 
“Carter G. Woodson” 
https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/carter-g-woodson
 
“Carter G. Woodson: The Early Years, 1875 - 1903” by Burnis R. Morris 
https://asalh.org/about-us/carter-g-woodson-the-early-years-1875-1903/
 
“A White Historian Claimed That Black People ‘Had No History.’ This Trailblazing Scholar Dedicated His Life to Proving Otherwise” by Meilan Solly (Feb 10 2026)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/a-white-historian-claimed-that-black-people-had-no-history-this-trailblazing-scholar-dedicated-his-life-to-proving-otherwise-180988144/
 
“Carter G. Woodson - African American Trailblazers” by the Library of Va channel on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBEjJH1j5U&t=137s 
 
“10 Things about Dr. Carter G. Woodson - Father of Black History Month” by the Black Excellence Excellist channel on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2-qjMiTQqw 
 
Sound Credits:
Music by SHIOU-SHIEN YEH from Pixabay
https://pixabay.com/music/chamber-music-the-pupa-cello-and-violin-417376/

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad

Episode 147. For this week's Black History Month episode, Emileigh and Morgan honor the amazing life of Harriet Tubman and the complexity of the Underground Railroad. Her good deeds weren't limited to the Underground Railroad and she spent her entire life helping those around her. 
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Sources
https://www.history.com/articles/underground-railroad
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlXGK2wi5oM
 
https://www.biography.com/activists/harriet-tubman-timeline-facts
 
https://azpbs.org/2022/09/harriet-tubman-visions-of-freedom/

George Washington Carver: The Peanut Man

Episode 146. Morgan and Emileigh dive into the life of one of America's most famous scientists, George Washington Carver. He is most well known for his work with peanuts, but he did much more for the benefit of southern farmers and people around the world. 
 
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Sources
“George Washington Carver” by History.com Editors (Oct 27 2009, updated Jan 23 2026)
https://www.history.com/articles/george-washington-carver 
 
“George Washington Carver, The Black History Monthiest of Them All” by Gene Demby (Feb 11 2014)
https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2014/02/11/275330069/george-washington-carver-the-black-history-monthiest-of-them-all
 
“George Washington Carver” 
https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/george-washington-carver/ 
 
“George Washington Carver” 
https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/carver.html
 
“George Washington Carver” 
https://historicmissourians.shsmo.org/george-washington-carver/
 
“Innovative Iowans: Etta Budd” (Feb 2023)
https://history.iowa.gov/media/122/download?inline 
 
“A Brief History of Peanut Butter” by Kate Wheeling (Jan 2021)
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/brief-history-peanut-butter-180976525/
 
Sound Credits:
 
Music by soundoffreedom from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/music/ambient-film-ambient-atmosphere-413097/ 

Rosa Parks: Mother of the Civil Rights Movement

Episode 145. Emileigh and Morgan honor the life and Legacy of the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement, Rosa Parks. 
 
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Sources
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/rosa-parks
 
https://eji.org/news/history-racial-injustice-jim-crow-laws
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._D._Nixon
 
https://www.history.com/articles/rosa-parks
 
https://naacp.org/find-resources/history-explained/civil-rights-leaders/rosa-parks
 
https://blogs.loc.gov/families/2021/02/young-rosa-parks/
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVybKqkPWuI
 

Smell-O-Vision

Episode 144. For thousands of years, the art of the visual medium has entertained audiences. But is sight and sound enough? What if you could smell the story, too? Hans Laube developed a system for incorporating smell into film in the 1930s, and worked to get his invention into theaters. Morgan and Emileigh explore the history of smell and other senses into film, and the highs and lows of each. 
 
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Sources
Stupid History: A Collection of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions Through the Ages by Leland Gregory, 2019. Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC. Kansas City. 
 
“Hollywood And Its Efforts to Introduce the Wacky World of Smell-O-Vision” by Gilles Messier (Apr 3 2023)
https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2023/04/hollywood-and-its-efforts-to-introduce-the-wacky-world-of-smell-o-vision-2/
 
“The Idea of Smell-O-Vision Has Been Around for Over a Century. AI May Finally Make It Work” by Michael Wolf (Aug 20 2024)
https://thespoon.tech/the-idea-of-smell-o-vision-has-been-around-for-over-a-century-ai-may-finally-make-it-work/
 
“Smell-O-Vision: The Curious Case of Cinema’s Forgotten Sense” by Kate Holtz (Aug 7 2025)
https://www.massiveactionmedia.com/post/history-of-smell-o-vision
 
“The Story of the Smell-O-Vision Wars” 
https://hyscent.com/the-story-of-the-smell-o-vision-wars/
 
https://www.uflib.ufl.edu/SPEC/belknap/exhibit2002/smell.htm
 
“A Brief History about Hans Laube” by Carmen Laube (Jan 01 2016; updated Dec 21 2025)
https://www.in70mm.com/presents/1960_smell_o_vision/library/hans_laube/index.htm
 
“In Glorious Smell-O-Vision! scented documentary” 
https://scentedstorytelling.com/2020/10/01/in-glorious-smell-o-vision-the-true-story-of-the-godfather-of-scented-cinema/
 
“Smell-o-vision screens let you really smell the coffee” by Hal Hodson (Mar 26 2013)
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21729105-900-smell-o-vision-screens-let-you-really-smell-the-coffee/
 
“Best ever April Fools’ pranks” (Mar 30 2007)
https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/best-ever-april-fools-pranks-2mcmmb8hlwn
 
“Smell O vision 2026” (Jan 3 2026)
https://olorama.com/smell-o-vision/
 
Sound Credits:
 
Music by Julius H. from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/music/marching-band-cheerful-march-happy-march-music-292405/

The Forty Elephants: London's all Woman Gang

Episode 143. Emileigh and Morgan dive into the underbelly of London in the late 1800s to explore the world of the city's most notorious all woman gang. The Forty Elephants were terrorizing shop owners, the police, and the citizens with crimes and violence for decades. 
 
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Sources
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a79K0MpXxFY
 
https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/london-stories/forty-elephants-south-londons-supreme-shoplifters/
 
https://sagasofshe.wordpress.com/2022/08/10/the-forty-elephants/#:~:text=She%20also%20created%20the%20Hoister's,a%20percentage%20of%20their%20takings.
 
https://www.historyextra.com/period/victorian/forty-elephants-gang-who-real-mary-carr/
 
https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/40-elephants/28301/
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forty_Elephants#Leadership
 

142: Madam CJ Walker: America's First Female Millionaire

The story of Madam CJ Walker is a true rags-to-riches tale. Sarah Breedlove was born on a cotton plantation just after slavery was abolished in the south. After being orphaned at a young age, she struggled until she finally had an idea - create her own brand of hair care products for black women. Sarah Breedlove became Madam CJ Walker, who had a brand that would last decades, and arguably make her America's first female millionaire. 
 
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Sources
“Madam C.J. Walker” by A’Lelia Bundles
https://www.britannica.com/money/Madam-C-J-Walker
 
“Madam C.J. Walker” 
https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/madam-c-j-walker/
 
“Self Made: What Happened to Madam C.J. Walker’s Hair-Care Empire?” by Yohana Desta (Mar 23 2020)
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/03/self-made-madam-cj-walker-company-true-story
 
“How Madam C.J. Walker Invented Her Hair Care Products” by Sara Kettler (Jan 19 2021)
https://www.biography.com/inventors/madam-cj-walker-invent-hair-care-products
 
“The Sharecopper’s Daughter Who Made Black Women Proud of Their Hair” by Hunter Oatman-Stanford (Aug 31 2015)
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/madam-walker/
 
“Madam C.J. Walker” 
https://indianahistory.org/education/education-resources/educator-resources/famous-hoosiers/madam-c-j-walker/
 
“Madam C.J. Walker” (Jan 23 2024)
https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/madam-cj-walker
 
“Madam Walker, the First Black American Woman to Be a Self-Made Millionaire” by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. 
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/100-amazing-facts/madam-walker-the-first-black-american-woman-to-be-a-self-made-millionaire/
 
“Madam C.J. Walker” by Debra Michals (2015)
https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/madam-cj-walker
 
“Madam C.J. Walker, the first U.S. self-made female millionaire, gets her own Barbie” by Wynne Davis (Aug 27 2022)
https://www.npr.org/2022/08/27/1119699259/madam-c-j-walker-barbie
 
"Netflix's ‘Self Made’ suffers from self-inflicted wounds” by A’Lelia Bundles (May 12 2020)
https://andscape.com/features/netflixs-self-made-suffers-from-self-inflicted-wounds/
 
“Netflix’s Self Made Makes a Mess Out of Madam C.J. Walker’s Extraordinary Life” by Judy Berman (Mar 18 2020)
https://time.com/5805147/self-made-review-madam-cj-walker/
Sound Credits: 
 
Music by music_for_video from Pixabay 
https://pixabay.com/music/comedy-%d1%81omedy-21407/
 
Knock 7x.aif by lth_stp -- https://freesound.org/s/120491/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 3.0